Citizenship Day 2024: When is Citizenship Day 2024 & 2025?

Below you can find dates of Citizenship Day 2024 and Citizenship Day 2025. In the table you can check how many days you have been on holiday, which week is the holiday and which day of the month.

When is ..? Date Day of the week Week Number Day left
Citizenship Day 2024 September 17, 2024 Tuesday 38 183
Citizenship Day 2025 September 17, 2025 Wednesday 38 548
Citizenship Day 2026 September 17, 2026 Thursday 38 913
Citizenship Day 2027 September 17, 2027 Friday 37 1278
Citizenship Day 2028 September 17, 2028 Sunday 37 1644
Citizenship Day 2029 September 17, 2029 Monday 38 2009
Citizenship Day 2030 September 17, 2030 Tuesday 38 2374
Citizenship Day 2031 September 17, 2031 Wednesday 38 2739
Citizenship Day 2032 September 17, 2032 Friday 38 3105
Citizenship Day 2033 September 17, 2033 Saturday 37 3470
Citizenship Day 2034 September 17, 2034 Sunday 37 3835

Citizenship Day

Citizenship Day or Constitution Day which is celebrated on 17th of September each year is a celebration of every person who has become a citizen of the United States.  The holiday was first celebrated in 1940, and at the time was called “I am an American day” and celebrated on the third Sunday of May.  It was not until 1952 that the holiday was moved to September 17th and renamed to Citizenship Day.  This holiday falls on the anniversary of the passing of the United States Constitution as well, and therefore enriches the celebration of this day. This holiday is very important to the immigrant community for obvious reasons, as it is the celebration of all of their hard work in coming to this country and becoming a legal citizen.

There is also Constitution Week which is observed the week of September 17 – 23. The Library of Congress official site describes these observances as being created to both commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787, and “recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.” 

Citizenship Day Background

In 1940, following a push by the Hearst newspapers, Congress established the third Sunday in May as "I Am an American Day," a day for celebrating citizenship in the United States. In 1952, President Harry Truman moved the holiday to September 17th, and renamed it Citizenship Day. Its purpose was to "[commemorate] the formation and signing on September 17, 1787, of the Constitution and [recognize] all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens." Starting in 1956, Constitution Week was added, celebrating the Constitution from September 17 through September 23. The Constitution was signed by thirty-nine courageous men who changed the course of history. Every American share in this legacy of liberty and has the responsibility as a citizen to respect and defend the values of our founding fathers as well as participate in the unfolding story of freedom.

At the end of 2004, it was decided to redesignate September 17 as "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day," adding the additional observance of holding educational programs on the United States Constitution in all publicly-funded schools.

Citizenship Day Celebrations

Citizenship Day is an annual event hosted by Project Citizenship and the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement to commemorate Constitution Day.  2019 will mark the 6th anniversary for Project Citizenship’s capstone event.  Over the course of annual citizenship days from 2014 through 2018, 1,444 applicants have applied for citizenship with the help of volunteer attorneys, law students, and community members.

  • The focus of Citizenship Day is to educate people about the importance of the American Constitution and the freedoms and rights it offers American citizens.
  • Many American citizens observe Constitution Day by flying American flags. It is also a day to learn about the Constitution and to take pride in one’s community through organized community activities.
  • Becoming an American citizen is a long process and requires immigrants and refugees to know and take on American values, language and culture. Applicants are required to take a citizenship test.
  • The Citizenship Day is a federal event but not a holiday.
  • Aside from learning the history and importance of the highest law of the land, it is also a day to promote sanitation and environmental causes.

 

Citizenship Day Customs and Traditions

Citizenship Day is traditionally viewed as the constitution of the United States and the time of celebration and honor of its citizens. Each year, these days, publicly funded educational institutions and all federal institutions provide training programming on the US Constitution that day. Although Citizenship Day is not a federal holiday, some people and organizations may take some time to commemorate this day with activities at schools, churches or appropriate ceremonies at appropriate locations.

The benefits of citizenship are numerous including voting rights, greater mobility, and family unification opportunities. Also, research demonstrates that naturalization can lead to an 8 to 11 percent increase in individual earnings, which in turn stimulates local economies. From Los Angeles to Buffalo, local communities are recognizing the benefits of integration and helping the immigrant community members become full-fledged Americans. And the benefits go both ways. America is a land of diversity thanks to the successive waves of immigrants that have come there.

 

Citizenship Day Facts

  • September 17 is designated as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787.
  • Constitution Day was originally known as Citizenship Day.
  • This bill also now mandates that there are educational programs on the history of the Constitution in all publicly funded schools on Citizenship Day.
  • Colleges and universities in the United States created ‘U.S. Constitution and Citizen Week' to comply with the law.
  • In 1939, William Hearst began to advocate for a holiday that would celebrate citizenship. William Hearst owned a chain of newspapers and used these to build awareness for his idea.
  • Congress began calling the 3rd Sunday of May ‘I Am an American Day' in 1940. United States Immigration and Naturalization made a film in 1944 called I Am an American to promote I Am an American Day.
  • In 1949, 48 states made Citizenship Day proclamations. In 1952 Congress changed ‘I Am an American Day' to Citizenship Day, to be celebrated every year on September 17th.
  • Senator Robert Byrd was responsible for having the amendment passed that changed the name in 2004 to Constitution Day.
  • In the major governments of the world, the United States Constitution is both the shortest and the oldest constitution, with only 4,543 words.
  • Jacob Shallus, a clerk for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, penned the Constitution for $30. Today that would equal $726.
  • Today the Constitution is on display in Washington, DC at the National Archives Building. It has been there since 1952. It is kept under special conditions to preserve the four pages.
  • Because the Constitution did not contain a bill of rights, three of the 42 delegates did not sign the document.
  • Benjamin Franklin, at 81, needed assistance to sign the Constitution because of his failing health. He's said to have had tears streaming down his face as he signed the document. He was also the oldest person to sign while Jonathan Dayton of New Jersey, at 26, was the youngest.
  • Not once in the Constitution does the word ‘democracy' appear.
  • The Constitution has been changed 17 times since it was created.
  • Although Citizenship Day is a federal event (not holiday), federal employees do not get a holiday.
  • Many Americans post the American flag on poles on their front lawns and on their cars.
  • Many students are given copies of the Citizenship Day, distributed for free by their schools.
  • Many Americans use Citizenship Day to clean up their neighborhood.
  • There often cleanliness drives organized on Citizenship Day, used as a way to promote both sanitation and social involvement.
  • Many countries around the world also celebrate their own Citizenship Day. They are celebrations to honor the signing of their own constitutions.
  • The original Constitution was only 4,543 words long, making it the shortest and oldest Constitution written in the world. Since it was ratified, over 11,000 amendments to the Constitution have been proposed but only 27 passed.
  • When the Constitution was signed, the American population was 4 million. Philadelphia, which was then the capital, had 40,000 inhabitants. Today, the American population is more than327 million.
  • Rhode Island was the last to sign on May 29, 1791, after failing to send a delegate to the Constitutional Convention.
  • Aside from English, Latin derivatives are also present in the document. Initially, it did not set forth any amendments for the right to vote. As a result, only male property-owners could vote, African-Americans were not considered citizens and women only got the right to vote in 1920.
  • When the Constitution was ratified in 1787, the institution of slavery was enshrined through the “Three-Fifths Compromise.” It was only in 1865 that slavery was abolished through the 13th Amendment. The longest period in American history in which the Constitution was unchanged by amendments was from 1804 to 1865.

 

Citizenship Day Symbols

  • The most common symbol of the Citizenship Day is American flag and happy citizen visuals.
  • On this special day, American citizens are honored for the nation to which they belong, commemorating the people who gave them this day, searching for the facts of this day and trying to learn more about their past in their land.
  • The formal term “The United States of America” was first used in the Declaration of Independence.
  • On January 10, 1791, Vermont ratified the Constitution even though it had not yet become a state.
  • From 1791, the Constitution was changed seventeen times.
  • In 1841, when Vice President John Tyler assumed the presidency after the death of William Harrison, there was nothing in the Constitution that provided for the vice president to become president. Despite lacking Constitutional authority, Tyler assumed the presidency as has every succeeding vice president in the same position. It was only in 1967 that the 25th Amendment stated that the vice president technically becomes the president in cases of removal of the president from office, death, resignation or inability to discharge the powers of office.

 

Check out the Citizenship Day in the following years.